Ukraine’s embassy in Washington says it is handing the Trump administration and the US Congress a list of Russian companies, ships and individuals it wants placed under American sanctions, and that makers of components for Russia’s planned Starlink-style satellite internet network are at the top of it. The request was reported by the Associated Press on September 30 and relayed by The Kyiv Independent on October 1, with Washington facing an October 18 deadline to decide which Russian entities are designated.
Key facts
- The Ukrainian diplomat making the case is the country’s acting head of mission in Washington, named as Denys Sienik by The Kyiv Independent and as Denys Senik by Bulgarian outlet Fakti.bg.
- The network in question is Rassvet, described by The Kyiv Independent as a broadband constellation being built by Russia’s Bureau 1440 as a domestic alternative to Starlink.
- The company developing Rassvet is already under US sanctions; the firms producing its components are not, Sienik said.
- The designations would fall under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which President Donald Trump signed on September 18.
- Kyiv is separately asking for access to Starlink services over Russian territory so it can strike targets there, according to Fakti.bg.
Why it matters
Both reports frame Rassvet as a targeting problem rather than a consumer broadband one. Sienik told the Associated Press that if Russia finishes the constellation, “it will be able to attack Ukraine at will with real-time information,” as quoted by The Kyiv Independent. Ukraine’s military intelligence warned in August that Russia was speeding up deployment, the same outlet reports.
The decision now sits with the US administration, which will choose which names from Ukraine’s list, if any, are acted on.
What Ukraine is asking Washington to do
Beyond the satellite suppliers, Kyiv wants tougher measures against vessels it says belong to Russia’s “shadow fleet,” which both Fakti.bg and The Kyiv Independent describe as a way of getting around restrictions on Russian oil sales. Other Russian structures and individuals are on the list, Fakti.bg reports, but the specific names have not been made public.
Ukraine has also asked the administration and American business leaders to condemn Russian attacks on facilities of US companies operating on Ukrainian territory. Fakti.bg notes that Republican and Democratic members of Congress had earlier urged Trump to use the new law’s powers rather than ease existing restrictions.
What the sources say about Rassvet
The Kyiv Independent describes Rassvet as a low-Earth-orbit broadband network, with the first 16 satellites launched in March and a second batch in July. Once a full constellation is operational, it says, Rassvet could function similarly to Starlink and eventually carry military applications including battlefield communications and drone control.
The two reports differ on timing. Fakti.bg says Moscow hopes to complete construction of the network by the end of the year; The Kyiv Independent cites Russian plans to expand the constellation over the next decade. We have covered Kyiv’s request to sanction Rassvet, Russia’s Starlink rival in more detail separately.
The Starlink access request is older than this list
The demand for Starlink coverage over Russia is not new. Global News, carrying Associated Press reporting on July 31, said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had pitched Trump and other US officials on winning Elon Musk’s permission to use Starlink to guide strikes inside Russia, raising it directly in an Oval Office meeting and again with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Trump did not commit to the request, the report said.
That report also set out where the line currently sits: Musk has allowed Ukrainians to use Starlink inside their own territory, including Russian-occupied regions, but has restricted use of the system inside Russia. SpaceX, the White House and the Ukrainian embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment at the time, and The Atlantic first reported the push.
Senator Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Global News that Ukraine needs long-term Starlink access to make its longer-range and intermediate-range systems more accurate. Global News linked the push to shortages of US Patriot interceptors and said Trump had stepped back from a commitment to license Ukrainian production of the system.
Background
Russia views Starlink as a grave threat, according to the intelligence findings described in the Global News report, which notes the constellation has been pivotal to Ukraine’s survival since the February 2022 invasion. Earlier this year Ukraine worked with SpaceX to switch off unauthorised terminals used by Russian forces, The Kyiv Independent reports — a reminder of how contested Starlink terminals in the field have become.
The sanctions law is named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham. Zelenskyy’s July visit to Washington coincided with Graham’s memorial service, Global News reported, and with a Senate vote advancing the Russia sanctions package that Trump signed two months later.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many satellites does Russia plan to put in the Rassvet constellation?
According to the Kyiv Independent, Moscow plans to expand Rassvet to 292 satellites by 2027 and 924 by 2035. The outlet says the first 16 satellites went up in March and a second batch followed in July.
Has SpaceX already acted against Russian use of Starlink?
Yes. The Kyiv Independent reports that Ukraine worked with SpaceX earlier this year to deactivate unauthorised Starlink terminals that were being used by Russian forces. The same report says Starlink has been critical to Ukrainian military communications throughout the full-scale war.
Is Russia reported to be developing a weapon against Starlink itself?
Global News, carrying Associated Press reporting, says that in December two NATO-nation intelligence services were reported to suspect Russia of developing a new anti-satellite weapon that would target the Starlink constellation with destructive orbiting clouds of shrapnel. The AP was shown the findings on condition the services were not identified and said it could not independently verify their conclusions.
Why does Kyiv say the timing of the sanctions decision matters?
Ukraine’s envoy told the Associated Press that completion of the Russian constellation could have catastrophic consequences in the short term, and specifically warned that the capability would be most damaging as winter approaches, according to Fakti.bg and the Kyiv Independent.
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